SUPERMARKET shoppers in York have donated more than 9,000 meals to help people in need.

Tesco stores in the city have donated a total of 9,209 meals, as part of its Neighbourhood Food Collection for The Trussell Trust, helped by donations from local shoppers.

The bi-annual food collection runs in Tesco stores across the country to collect store cupboard essentials such as rice, tea, tinned meat and fish and UHT milk, for people in need.

Shoppers were invited to donate food across eight local Tesco stores in York between June 30 and July 2, to benefit local Trussell Trust foodbanks.

The food collected in store helped contribute towards the estimated total of 2.78 million meals collected for the charities by all Tesco stores nationwide this month.

Caroline Silke, head of community for Tesco, said: "We’re over the moon with the huge number of food donations we’ve had in the stores, resulting in such an amazing number of meals to give to those in need.

"It really demonstrates the generosity of the people of York. Thank you for once again supporting us, and making this collection so successful."

The Neighbourhood Food Collection is now in its fifth year and run in partnership with Tesco, FareShare and The Trussell Trust.

It is held twice a year in all Tesco stores, once in summer and once in the winter, and the supermarket financially tops up donations made to the collection by 20 per cent.

For more information about the Neighbourhood Food Collection, go to tesco.com/food-collection